Charmin and Cottonelle Address Nationwide Toilet Paper Shortages, and Twitter Is Sounding Off

Charmin, Conntonelle and Angel Soft addressed the toilet paper shortages in stores across the country late Monday, inspiring several responses on Twitter and social media. The brands said they are aiming to ramp up production and shipping more products to stores. Consumers have been rushing to buy toilet paper this past week as they prepare for social distancing in efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“We understand how frustrating this is, and we want you to know we take our responsibility to our consumers very seriously,” Charmin wrote in a statement. “We are producing and shipping Charmin at record high levels, and working diligently to get product to our retailers as fast as humanly possible so everyone can #EnjoyTheGo!”

“Our employees are working around the clock to ensure our products, manufactured right here in the U.S., get to you as quickly as possible,” Cottonelle’s statement read. “In the meantime, please reach out to us with any additional questions or concerns.”

Angel Soft assured customers “production is going smoothly, and we are shipping out product as fast as we can make it.”

The statements followed days of reports of stores selling out of toilet paper surfaced on social media. There have even been reported fights over toilet paper, which was readily available almost everywhere before the coronavirus pandemic.

‘Leave us alone!’

On Monday, President Donald Trump issued more guidelines for Americans for the next 15 days, and said his experts believe the coronavirus crisis could continue through the summer. Officials have shut down bars and restaurants in cities across the country, and people are being advised to stay home.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that anyone over 60 and with chronic medical conditions should stay home during the outbreak.

‘They Gave Us the Forever Roll’

“This virus is capable of spreading easily and sustainable from person to person … and there’s essentially no immunity against this virus in the population,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reports Monday, reports CNBC. She cited data from the World Health Organization’s research of 70,000 cases in China.

‘More Reassuring Message Than’ the Government

“It’s fair to say that, as the trajectory of the outbreak continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time, either this year or next, be exposed to this virus and there’s a good chance many will become sick,” Messonnier said.

She added that many people will not develop serious symptoms and 15 to 30 percent of those exposed to the virus get severely sick.

‘It’ll Take Time’ to Fully Restock

The disease is most dangers for those over 80, Messonnier said. The odds of developing COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, increases with age. Only about 2% of the cases the WHO examined were in people less than 19 years old.

“This seems to be a disease that affects adults and most seriously older adults,” she explained. “Starting at age 60, there is an increasing risk of disease and the risk increases with age.”

‘We Need More TP’

There are over 182,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, including over 4,600 in the U.S. alone as of Monday night. There have been 85 reported deaths in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University.

‘Production Continues to Go Smoothy’

Angel Soft quickly responded to toilet paper fans’ questions, assuring them that production is still going “smoothly.” The company is also streamlining the distribution process and expediting shipping of what has already been made.